Continuation of Chapter 5Just as Penny finished getting herself dressed she heard another knock at the door. Her heart raced at the thought of it being Harvey again,
but most likely it’s not, she thought. “Come in.”
“Hey,” Maru sweetly said as she entered the room. “We’re just about to head out, but I wanted to see how you’re doing first.”
Penny’s smile beamed. “You’re so sweet. And seriously the bestest friend a girl could ask for.” The two gave each other a hug and afterward Penny sat herself back down on the bed again, still feeling a little lightheaded. “Thank you for looking after me, I’m feeling
tons better,” she happily informed her friend, “except for this lightheaded feeling, but Harvey says that should ease up once I get rehydrated.”
“I’m so glad,” Maru expressed, “and speaking of Harvey, I ran into him when he was on his way out of the house and...he had this giant smile on his face. I swear I haven’t seen him grin like that in...ever!”
“Oh?” Penny asked, hiding a blushed smirk.
“Yeeeah,” Maru said looking at her with a smirk as well. “What were you two talking about in here?”
“Nothing really,” Penny replied, nervous to meet her gaze while twirling one of her bun-like ponytails.
Maru folded her arms. “Something tells me more than a check-up was going on in here…”
Penny’s mouth dropped in surprise. “It was nothing like that!” she exclaimed. “Seriously! We were just flirting a tiny bit…”
“Harvey? Flirting? He’s
awful at that!”
“He really wasn’t…,” she blissfully said, staring into the wall and reliving that beautiful moment.
Hearing that surprised Maru, more so than the fact that Penny was flirting with him out of all the guys, and it felt strange for her to realize she may not know Harvey as well as she thought; or her best friend for that matter. Was something in this world coaxing everyone toward another side of themselves? Is this all part of the Wizard’s plan? She shook her head, hoping not, and felt even more determined to research the heck out of this place. She could sense mystery everywhere.
“You okay?” Penny asked her.
“Hmm? Oh, uh...yeah,” Maru replied, “I just got a little lost in some thoughts there.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49592514288_8fe7ef8aa3_c.jpgPenny surveyed her for a moment. “I hope that my flirting with Harvey doesn’t bother you…”
Now THAT took Maru by surprise! Her eyes widened as she asked, “
Why would that bother me?”
“Oh...I dunno,” Penny hesitated for a moment. “It’s just we both know Harvey’s had feelings for you in the past and I know you were never interested in return I just...always wondered…”
“I don’t think he ever had any serious feelings for me,” Maru countered. “He just asked me one time if I’d like to go to lunch with him and it made me feel a little uneasy,” she paused. “I mean my immediate thought at the time was, ‘Uhh, he’s my boss and like...10 years older than me! Eww.’”
Normally Penny would’ve chuckled at that, but instead she frowned. “He’s 10 years older than me too...are you implying there’s something wrong with that?”
“No! Well...okay...maybe a
tiny bit. It’s just such a big age gap. But then again,” she scratched at her temple, “I guess age doesn’t really matter the older we get so...and I’ve never pegged him to be the cradle robber type.”
“He’s definitely not. And really, if you think about it, there’s not a whole lot of options in the single ladies department for him in a tiny town like home.”
Maru shrugged. “Good point.”
Why didn’t I think about that?“So,” Penny continued, eyeballing her carefully, “I was thinking of asking him out. Do you think I should?”
“Of course!” Maru quickly expressed, “I think you two would have a lot of fun together.”
“You seriously don’t have
any feelings for him?” Penny had to double check. “I mean, I
know you Maru. We’ve known each other our whole lives and you’re my best friend. It’s because of that that I wouldn’t ever want to do anything to hurt you.”
Maru looked her friend directly in the eye with a gentle smile and said, “Penny
trust me...I’ve never had any feelings for Harvey. He’s always just been my work buddy and fellow geek,” she chuckled. “Really, you have nothing to worry about,” she assured with a dismissive wave of her hand.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49593013261_9ee763aa59_c.jpg“But thank you for being so considerate,” she added.
“You’re welcome,” Penny smiled, then glanced away for a moment with a lovesick sigh. “Oh Maru...I never thought I’d ever feel this way about him since he always made me so nervous, but,” she paused, heart fluttering, “I
really like him.” She met her gaze again. “He’s so much more charming than I ever imagined him to be. I can’t stop thinking about him.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49593256122_9c67f3b160_c.jpg“Aww, well then go for him girl!” Maru said, playfully swatting at her friend’s shoulder. “Harvey’s a great guy and you two would make such a cute couple.”
“Oh...well...uh,” Penny uttered shyly, standing up from the bed, “I dunno if he’s looking at becoming a couple, but I certainly wouldn’t mind it.” She grinned happily.
“Well you said he was flirting back with you right? So...that certainly means there’s potential for you two to hook up. Plus that man’s not getting any younger and he knows it!”
They both laughed.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49592514473_1aea677cbd_c.jpg“Thanks girl,” Penny said, giving her dear friend a hug.
“You’re welcome sweetie,” Maru said, squeezing her for a second and then breaking the embrace. “I keep wondering if there’s something in the air around here...Elliott and Leah suddenly hook up, Haley and Alex seem to be flirting more than usual, and now here you and Harvey are crushing on each other.”
“I know,” Penny breathed. “It’s wonderful isn’t it?”
“...Sure,” Maru said, then looked away in thought, feeling a sinking in her stomach. She really wanted to say,
Honestly, it feels suspicious. And I don’t like it. ****************************On this day of exploration it was decided that Abigail, Leah and Maru would go out and explore different areas of the countryside, collecting plants, rocks, gems, soil, insects, and other small wildlife to study to help them gain more knowledge about the world. With Maru in possession of a chemistry table and Harvey in possession of a rather fascinating “ZRX-9000 Science Research Station” they figured there had to be a reason for that. Whether for studying or analyzing - to aid in that “enlightenment” the Wizard mentioned - or for some other purposeful reasons they didn’t have any way of knowing and figured it best to be prepared with an inventory of items.
On the guys end it was decided that Harvey, Alex and Shane would brave the town, meeting the locals and checking out the buildings and resources available to them. Sebastian and Sam gladly offered to be the ones to stay behind at the house in case anyone came over for a visit, but mostly it was so they could jam out on all those new instruments in their room that were familiar to them, yet so foreign at the same time. Elliott mentioned discovering something called the “World-wide Web” on the computer when he was typing down some thoughts on living in a new world and found it to be a treasure trove of billions of information and knowledge. “I’m sure to find out ALL about this planet’s history,” he said, “and I’ll report back anything important and helpful that I find.”
Two vehicles sat parked out in front of the men’s house, a large truck and a motorcycle which Sebastian was overjoyed to discover! However Harvey advised that he control himself from riding it until they familiarized themselves more with the town and countryside. Sebastian obeyed, much to his displeasure, but knew it was the wise thing to do. In the meantime he would just polish it up like he did often with his motorcycle back home.
So Harvey, Alex and Shane squeezed themselves into the truck, Shane insisting that Alex sit between him and Harvey, and headed toward the town. Harvey found his driving skills to be a little rusty, but got back into the hang of it in no time.
Their first stop was the Grocery Store to see what was available there to meet their everyday necessities. Even though they all knew life in this world is really no different than life back home, except for the more advanced technology, Harvey was still determined to leave no stone unturned in their quest to familiarize themselves with this place. Shane was none too thrilled at Harvey’s choice for the first stop. He was losing patience more and more by the minute since he woke for the day, wanting nothing more than to find a bar.
I guess they wouldn’t serve me a drink this early in the morning anyway, he thought with a miffed eye-roll, but then his eyes lit up.
Maybe they have an alcoholic beverage section here in the store! They should! SCORE! He promptly exited the truck.
“Move it Harvey!” he ordered, whipping right past the Doctor to enter through the door first. He faintly heard Harvey say, “Geez,” as he almost lost his footing, but Shane didn’t care. His tunnel vision was leading him to only one thing.
The light at the end of the tunnel opened fully to reveal a wide range of colorful bottles, nestled in the back corner of the store where alcoholic beverages were usually kept, even at the Joja Mart where he worked as a stock-person back home. Shane studied them all carefully. It came as no surprise that the names were odd, but they all ended with the word ‘Juice.’
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49646526812_e8bf06a7ce_c.jpg“What the
hell is all this Juice stuff!?” he spoke just a hair above a whisper and kept on inspecting the bottles, grabbing each one and turning it over to read the exact ingredients. “This is NOT the area where juice is located!” He began to feel an impending panic, his breath growing heavy and his hands trembling more rapidly, as not even the word “alcohol” was showing up anywhere on the bottles.
“Son of a B***h!” he muttered through gritted teeth.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49645715523_b8bb63d51e_c.jpgOn the other side of the store Alex declared a little louder than he intended, “Oh good they have some.”
“What is that?” Harvey asked from the medicine aisle, looking over the top of the shelves at him.
Alex blushed for a second. “Feminine hygiene products. Haley asked me if I would check and see if they have some here at the stores.”
Harvey’s eyebrows rose. “Are you sure she doesn’t need you to pick some up for her?”
The color drained from Alex’s face. “I don’t...think so,” he nervously replied, whipping out his phone. “I think I’ll message her and ask.”
Harvey nodded in agreement and looked back down at the shelf, expressing a tiny chuckle as he continued to study the items on it. The names were different, but he got the general idea of what each box or bottle was supposed to treat. Then he heard a slight squeaking sound as Shane came to a halt in front of the checkout counter.
“Welcome to Darris Teeter’s Grocery,” the lady greeted him. “Is there anything I can help you find?”
That’s the same exact thing she said when we walked in, Harvey thought with an arched brow.
And in the same exact tone too... “Yes, actually,” Shane replied in frustration. “Where are your alcoholic beverages?”
The lady stared at him blankly, head co’cked, with that ever present smile on her face. “I’m not sure what you mean?”
“ALCOHOL!” Shane shouted, his hands outstretched. “Beer! Wine! Vodka! Whiskey! Rum! Any of those ringing a bell? Or are you really that stupid!?”
“Alright Shane,” Harvey stopped, stepping forward and lowering Shane’s arm. He spoke softly towards his ear, “The names could be different here; everything else is. Let me handle this.” Shane grumbled, turning away, as Harvey stepped closer to greet the lady. “Hi,” he began, “you’ll have to excuse him. We come from WAY out of town and it would seem you all carry a wide variety of items that we aren’t familiar with. If someone wanted to say...drink something that would make them feel really good, like as a release from all of their problems, what might the name of those beverages be?”
The lady gave off the same, robotic expression. “I don’t understand. Is there anything I can help you find?”
Pursing his lips for a moment, Harvey decided to try a different approach. “I’m sorry I haven’t properly introduced myself,” he said, holding out his hand. “My name is Harvey and you are?”
Alex and Shane shot each other a glance as if to say, “What the hell is he doing?”
The lady took his hand and answered, “Roxanne.”
Harvey continued to hold her hand while placing his other hand over it. “Roxanne...that’s a very pretty name. And this is a wonderful little establishment you have here.”
“Thank you! It’s my father’s store.”
“Oh really?” Harvey said with wide eyes while continuing to grip her hand. “Well do tell him that I’ve never seen a finer grocery store in all my life with such a great layout and fully stocked shelves.”
“Stocked shelves my a**,” Shane muttered.
“I will do that,” the lady smiled, not pulling her hand away much to all three of the men’s surprise.
A sinking feeling started to develop in Harvey’s stomach for a few seconds before finally releasing the woman’s hand. “So...uh…” he stammered, “what does your family like to do outside of manning the store? We’d love to hear about some fun and recreational places to visit here.”
“Nothing,” came the simple reply with a shrug. “I hope you enjoyed your visit here at Darris Teeter’s Grocery. Have a lovely day. Come again soon!” She waved.
The three men shot each other some confused glances and then promptly turned and exited the store.
Outside, Harvey gripped his chin in thought, while Alex and Shane shared some of their thoughts about that interesting experience.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49592514643_d9110e7781_c.jpg“Did that girl seem a little off to you?” Alex asked the both of them.
“I’ll say!” Shane said without hesitation. “Who doesn’t know what an alcoholic beverage is? I’d say that chick is a few cards short of a full deck!”
Alex laughed.
“She’s cuckoo for Stardew Puffs I tell ya!”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49593013496_0284fb734c_c.jpg“Maybe,” Alex said then paused to think. “She seemed kinda...robotic.”
“Precisely,” Harvey said. “You two stay here for a second, I’m gonna go back in there and test something.”
Shane rolled his eyes while stepping out of Harvey’s way as he entered the store again. “Really Harvey? Can’t you just give your nerdy brain a rest for a while?”
“I won’t be long,” the Doctor replied.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49592514538_5097f3154d_c.jpgOnce the door closed, Shane and Alex shot each other a look of curiosity, but brushed it off quickly. Shane then shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced around at the buildings, the pigeons flying overhead, and the scenery, shaking a little bit. Alex found that odd.
“You okay man?” he asked, feeling an unusual concern for this guy whom he almost always didn’t get along with.
“Yeah!” Shane replied with a hint of irritation. “Why do you ask?”
“Sorry it just...looked like you were shivering or something when it’s pretty hot out here.”
“I’m not shivering, I just had one of those random muscle spasms. You should know which kind I’m talking about Mr. Athletic.”
“Yeah I do,” Alex promptly answered, which he would’ve said even if he hadn’t. He could see he angered the beast and wasn’t sure why.
“I’m fine!” Shane felt to asservate. “I’ll be even more so once Harvey gets his a** back out here so we can find a bar! Or I'll leave you both and find it myself!”
Hmm…Right after Shane said that, the door to the store opened and out came Harvey, saying goodbye to the cashier lady. He wore a blank expression on his face and didn’t even acknowledge his two companions as he walked right on past them, stopping before the street, and sighing, staring out at the clouds hovering over the mountains in the distance. For a few seconds, no one spoke; and no vehicles drove by either. There was just the silence of nature, except for the sound of a gentle breeze rustling the leaves on the nearby trees.
“What’s wrong?” Alex finally asked. “What was it you were testing out?”
Harvey sighed again and then glanced over his shoulder at them as he replied, “When I went back in there that lady greeted me in the very same way and tone she greeted us twice before. There was no, ‘Oh hey you’re back,’ or ‘Did you forget something?’ So I asked her, ‘You don’t remember me? I was just in here a few seconds ago.’ Then she replied, ‘Nope,’ and repeated the greeting.’” He stared back at the clouds again.
Alex was surprised for a moment, but then shrugged. “Maybe she has short term memory loss?”
“No, it’s not that,” Harvey said. “This doesn’t make any sense…”
“Well you’re a doctor Harvey,” Shane mocked, “figure it out.”
“I did.”
Now the two stared at his backside with great curiosity.
Harvey finally turned to face them and revealed in a grim voice, “She’s not real.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49593256402_3febf76746_c.jpgAlex’s eyes widened.
“What!?” Shane cried. “Have you finally lost your marbles Harvey? How can she NOT be real? We could see her, talk with her, and you even touched her! Which by the way you held onto her hand for a disturbingly long time!”
“Because I was discreetly checking for a pulse. There wasn’t one.”
“What is it with you in checking everyone’s pulse! Leave us all the hell alone!”
“I had a suspicion so I--”
“Can’t you just quit playing doctor for like ONE second in your life and--”
“Shut up Shane!” Alex ordered. “And let the man talk.”
“Excuse me!?”
“Harvey, are you
sure she had no pulse? I mean, she looked pretty darn real and lifelike to me.”
“Positive,” the doctor replied. “Her skin was unusually cold too. That woman in there is
not a living, breathing human being.”
There was a pause. “So...are you saying she’s an android?”
“Possibly.” He stroked his mustache. “Which would be really quite fascinating, but at the same time,” he paused, “I have a bad feeling about this.” Alex’s eyes bored into his, begging for an explanation; Shane simply didn’t care. “Let’s just hope she’s the only android around here. If in fact that’s what she is.”
Alex’s brow furrowed, unsure of what he meant by that.
“We should be on our way…”
“‘Bout time!” Shane emphatically agreed.
***************************To be continued... :)
